The University Of Michigan's College Of Engineering has been awarded a five-year, $10-million grant to pursue, among other things, this concept spy bat. The grant establishes the U-M Center for Objective Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology, called COM-BAT for short.
The proposal for the spy bat says that the bat should be six inches in length and weigh four ounces. It will use just one watt of power, backed by a lithium-ion battery, which could be charged by solar and wind energy as well as random vibrations.
Ecofriend describes the bat as follows:
"Low-power miniaturized radar and a very sensitive navigation system would help the bat find its way at night. Energy scavenging from solar, wind, vibration and other sources would recharge the bat’s lithium battery. The aircraft would use radio to send signals back to troops. The Bat runs on the power of the elements to provide significant and sustained information that is vital to winning battles in the real world. Bats have a highly-attuned echolocation sense providing high-resolution navigation and sensing ability even in the dark, just as our sensor must be able to do. The Solar spy craft is also designed to function as sharply and as astutely as the real creature itself."
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